Today we’d like to introduce you to Denice Duff.
Denice, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Always fascinated at the magic a photo could create by freezing a moment in time on a person’s face – And I loved how I could engage with a subject and bring out confidence in them when they were normally afraid in from to the camera, I modeled as a teenager and was an actress for 20 yrs. I then moved more behind the lens to do photography and directing and have never looked back.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being self-employed is a gift. Its great being your own boss but it’s also very challenging.
And I am more driven by communicating the human condition via my camera so stopping to make sure my business is running effectively can be very trying. Making sure you keep promoting to get more business on the horizon while you are shooting and processing current job is a constant juggle. But when you are doing something you love so much that you would do it for free (if you could) then you are in a good place and have chosen the right profession.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Duffimages.com – what should we know?
I photograph people, actors, artists and influencers. I also shoot a lot in Manhattan, NY, now and I get to make businessmen look and feel like celebrities. Today the New Celebrity isn’t just the movie star or rock star, it’s the business man, the life coach, the health and fitness trainer, and the YouTube tech guru to name a few. These people need images to promote themselves and they aren’t always comfortable in front of a camera like an actor so my biggest challenge and greatest joy is to make that client comfortable in their own skin so that it shines through in their photo. I tell them I can photoshop out any wrinkles or bald spots or muffin top but I CAN’T photoshop the confidence in the eyes if it’s not there. If a client is nervous, no amount of hair and makeup or retouching can really fix that. So that’s where my super hero skills come onto play – and I just adore that part of my job!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband has been the backbone to my ability to continue as a photographer and director in this digital age because he is a tech geek and knows everything about keeping up to date on all the digital equipment I need to stay competitive and efficient with the HUGE amounts of files I work with every day. Also, my daughter who has gone on to be a fashion photographer in Hollywood too (www.parishelena.com). She taught me not to undercut my prices. She taught me that even though I am fast at what I do and that I can literally give someone a perfectly professional portrait in 30 seconds, I should not charge any less because it has taken me 2 decades of honing my craft, my eye, and my technical expertise to be able to “whip something great out” in just a few minutes. Yep, she is wise beyond her years…. 😉
Contact Info:
- Website: duffimages.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: deniceduff
- Facebook: deniceduff
- Twitter: deniceduff
- Yelp: deniceduff
Image Credit:
Denice Duff
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